This invention relates generally to cleaning solutions and more particularly to an additive which is useful in aqueous solutions to quickly precipitate and settle dirt particles and other foreign matter introduced into the solution.
In general janitorial cleaning and in other cleaning operations, floors and other surfaces are mopped or wiped in order to remove dirt, and the mop or other cleaning tool is then dipped into the wash water to remove the dirt that is picked up by the mop head or other cleaning tool. The solution thus quickly becomes contaminated with the dirt that is introduced into it, and the mop picks up dirt from the cleaning solution and redeposits it on the surface from which it was previously removed.
There are a large number of other situations in which cleaning solutions can become contaminated by dirt and other foreign matter which is subsequently redeposited on the surface which is being cleaned. Typical examples of such situations include general household cleaning, the scrubbing of surfaces with a scrub brush, and the washing of vehicles with automatic equipment or by hand with a sponge or rag. Other examples of cleaning applications where solutions become quickly contaminated and lose their effectiveness include cleaning of metal and other objects by soaking and immersion, sometimes in a number of solutions contained in different vessels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,808 discloses a detergent composition which includes a flocculant for effecting coagulation of soilage present on a soiled floor surface. It is necessary to apply the detergent in a thick layer, to violently agitate the layer, and to thereafter filter the solution in order to remove the flocs of contaminant particles. The need for forceful agitation virtually mandates the use of machinery, while the need for filtration further complicates the cleaning process and makes it impractical for general janitorial cleaning operations. The large floc size resulting from this prior art teaching also precludes disposal in a municipal sanitary sewer system.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,449,255 to Johnston discloses the use of a polyacrylamide polymer for reducing the friction of a mop used in cleaning a floor surface. There is no disclosure in this patent of employing a flocculant capable of precipitating dirt from the solution and no teaching of how such a flocculant can be stabilized for long periods of time so as to result in a practical shelf life.
The Herpers et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,808 discloses a detergent composition employing a polyelectrolyte flocculant such as polyacrylamides so as to maintain dirt and other contaminants in solution in the form of a floc. These patentees did not contemplate the precipitation of contaminant particles from solution and offer no teaching of how this could be accomplished.